Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Spider Goats, Glowing Beagles, & CopyCat: Key Moments in Cloning
By
Gothamist Sponsor
Published Mar 19, 2013
Modified Jul 30, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Gothamist Sponsor
Published Mar 19, 2013
Modified Jul 30, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Since 1952 and the hatching of 27 tadpoles, cloning has been more than science fiction. It might not be in the news as much as it was with the birth of Dolly the Finn-Dorset sheep, but that doesn't mean researchers haven't been making huge (and adorable) strides in the science of reproductive cloning. The timeline below has some of the standout moments in the past 60 years of cloning research. Cows that produce human milk, anyone?
KEY MOMENTS IN CLONING
1952: Robert Briggs and Thomas J. King hatch 27 tadpole clones of Northern Leopard Frogs, thereby creating the first animal clones in history.
1986: Possibly the first cloned mammal is a mouse named "Dirty Sanchez," born in the Soviet Union.
CopyCat (Texas A&M)
1996: Dolly the Sheep is born in Scotland; she's the first mammal cloned from a somatic cell, or a non-embryonic cell of an adult animal.
2001: Scientists successfully clone human embryos on October 13th at Advanced Cell Technology, a biotech company specializing in regenerative medicine and cellular therapies.
2002: CopyCat, the clone of a calico named Rainbow, is born at Texas A&M; she is the first cloned pet and remains free of health problems that are typically found in cloned organisms.
2002: Clonaid, associated with the Raelian movement, announces a baby girl as the first human clone; an independent scientist called in to investigate debunks the claim as an "elaborate hoax."
Prometea with her genetic donor (C. Galli)
2003: A Halfinger foal named Prometea is born after 841 attempts in the Laboratory of Reproductive Technology in Italy, prompting the Jockey Club of North American Thoroughbreds to prohibit future horse clones from entering their races.
2003: A Banteng calf is produced from the San Diego "Frozen Zoo" DNA of an animal that died 20 years prior; it is the first clone from an endangered species to live more than a week, and still resides at the San Diego Zoo.
2004: Little Nicky is the first commercially cloned cat, created from a beloved Maine Coon by pet gene bank and cloning service Genetic Savings & Clone (shuttered in 2006).
2006: CopyCat, the first cloned pet, gives birth to four kittens—one is stillborn, but the other three are healthy and free from problems that usually plague animal clones.
Snuppy with his donor, Tai (Woo-Suk Hwang)
2005: Snuppy the puppy is born on April 24th in South Korea; his being the only successful birth out of 1,095 embryos and three years of work is owed to the notorious difficulty in cloning canines.
2007: Tetra, a rhesus monkey, is born at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center; she's the first cloned primate, created through a process sometimes called "artificial twinning."
Tegon's glowing paw (Seoul National University)
2009: A female clone of the extinct Pyrenean ibex is born and lives for 7 minutes; this is the first time a taxon has become "un-extinct," if only for a short amount of time.
2010: The University of Wyoming develops goats that produce milk containing spider silk protein for use in artificial tendons, eye sutures, bulletproof vests, and airbags.
2011: Chinese scientists generate dairy cows that produce human breast milk.
2011: South Korean scientists clone a beagle named Tegon, which glows under UV light.
2012: Beautifully preserved woolly mammoth remains are found in Siberia; should they contain living cells, it may be possible to finally create a living specimen of the long-extinct species.
For more clone action, tune in to Orphan Black, the new sci-fi clone thriller, premiering March 30th at 9/8c as part of Supernatural Saturday on BBC America.
Tagged
cloning
gothamist collaboration
orphan black
Gothamist Sponsor
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 19, 2026
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .